Good coffee, tea and biscuits, and warm toasties. This is the light breakfast to be enjoyed by visitors at the local Mind in West Essex breakfast club.

The drop-in sessions, which take place every Tuesday between 10-12am at the Saffron Walden Baptist Church hall, aim to provide informal mental health support. This is particularly important now, as people are often feeling low after the Christmas period, according to representatives for the initiative.

A spokesperson for the church and the mental health charity said: "Small, friendly and informal, the breakfast get-together is a much-appreciated safe place for local people who are living with mental health issues.

"Getting together with other people, having a chat or a game of Triominos are the kind of low-key activities on offer.

"These gatherings are well attended and appreciated by a number of regular attendees. A few years ago, the long-running breakfast club looked like it would fold due to lack of resources."

The Baptist Church stepped in and suggested a partnership arrangement to keep the drop-in available.

Martin Baker, a peer support worker with Mind in West Essex, is a regular visitor to the drop-in event and can offer support and advice if required.

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